When I was in third grade, my parents decided we could get a dog! I was beyond excited!! I picked out all your typical kid dog names such as Spot, Roofus, Shadow, Max, etc. We ended up going to a breeder who bred all labradors. My Dad had said to us “Don’t get too excited we don’t know if we will even leave with a puppy today.” My Dad even went through the bit where he says: “That dog won’t be sleeping in our bed when we get it!” I knew though, I knew we were getting our puppy that day.
Continue reading “Man’s Best Friend”How We Treat Others
It’s amazing how people treat other people. Now I know we all judge people, I get it… but why? Do we boil it down to that’s just what our brain is wired to do? Or are we really that judgmental as human beings?
Continue reading “How We Treat Others”Dad’s Book
Having visited my Dad in Florida while he was recovering and witnessing his sadness (although he really did try his best to hide it) made me want to do something special for him. Something to show him all the things he had here to fight for. I wanted to turn my Dad’s fight switch on because even with everything we had been through I was still Daddy’s little girl, and a girl always needs her father.
Continue reading “Dad’s Book”Brain Scan
Dad’s cancer came with a major relapse. we all knew it was coming. Dad was scared and thought he was doing to die. I couldn’t really hold this one against him, although I wished it didn’t always have to be this way.
Continue reading “Brain Scan”Saying Sorry
From my last post one thing I mentioned was how it’s the little things that matter. Little things like saying “I’m sorry.”
Continue reading “Saying Sorry”My First Job
My Dad wanted me to start working when I turned fifteen. He and my Uncle Al owned Expressway Lube Centers, so he put me to work as a part-time receptionist in their Danbury store. It wasn’t up to me where I worked; it wasn’t a suggestion; it was what I had to do.
Continue reading “My First Job”Panic Attacks
Right before starting back at Danbury for my junior year of High School, I had my first panic attack. I had been in summer school for math, and it came out of nowhere! I had no idea what was happening. So I asked to use the bathroom and immediately rushed to call my Dad.
Continue reading “Panic Attacks”Him
During my parents’ separation/divorce, I started to catch onto something I very much disliked.
Continue reading “Him”Leave Him
I remember the day I told my mom to leave my dad like it was yesterday. I remember what restaurant we were at, I remember the weather, and exactly where we sat. Which is funny because many things for me fade together sometimes. It’s not always easy to remember when each relapse was especially since there were so many over the years, and again they started when I was thirteen going on fourteen. Barely a teen, so when you have 11 years worth of slips, relapses, rehab stints, etc its hard to not blend them together or lose when what happened.
Continue reading “Leave Him”Coming Home
Before my parents separated, my Mom decided to go back to school. She wanted a career, and I think she knew she was going to eventually leave my Dad. She was also at the time very involved with being on town committees and political parties. I still wasn’t old enough to drive, and Dad was 80% of the time drunk.
Continue reading “Coming Home”